Welding and cutting torch

ABSTRACT

A welding and cutting torch comprising a handle portion having a volume control valve rotatably mounted therein which is in communication with sources of industrial gas and oxygen. The volume control valve includes two valve portions which control the flow of gas and oxygen therethrough respectively. The two valve portions are coordinated with each other so that the operator can rotate the volume control valve to select the proper gas-oxygen mixture. The two valve portions are in communication with a master valve which permits preselected amounts of the gasoxygen mixture to flow therethrough for lighting and heating operations. The master valve may also be moved to an &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;off&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; position to prevent the flow of gas-oxygen mixture therethrough. The master valve is connected to the torch nozzle or tip. The torch also includes an oxygen line which bypasses the volume control valve so that additional oxygen can be supplied to the nozzle or tip when cutting operations are to be performed.

United States Patent [72] Inventor [54] WELDING AND CUTTING TORCH 11Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

52 us. Cl 239/414, 239/416.2, 251/207, 137/625.19, 137/625.47 [51] Int.Cl F231! 13/38 [50] Field 01 Search 239/414,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 373,710 11/1887 Wiswell137/625.47 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 119,698 10/1918 Great Britain Primary Examiner-M. HensonWood, Jr.

Assistant Examiner-Edwin D. Grant AttorneyZarley, McKee & ThomteABSTRACT: A welding and cutting torch comprising a handle portion havinga volume control valve rotatably mounted therein which is incommunication with sources of industrial gas and oxygen. The volumecontrol valve includes two valve portions which control the flow of gasand oxygen therethrough respectively. The two valve portions arecoordinated with each other so that the operator can rotate the volumecontrol valve to select the proper gas-oxygen mixture. The two valveportions are in communication with a master valve which permitspreselected amounts of the gas-oxygen mixture to flow therethrough forlighting and heating operations. The master valve may also be moved toan off" position to prevent the flow of gas-oxygen mixture therethrough.The master valve is connected to the torch nozzle or tip. The torch alsoincludes an oxygen line which bypasses the volume control valve so thatadditional oxygen can be supplied to the nozzle or tip when cuttingoperations are to be performed.

Va lame Can fro WELDING AND CUTTING TORCH Conventional cutting and/orwelding torches generally employ at least two thumbscrew-type valveswhich are connected to sources of oxygen and acetylene and which must beindividually operated in an attempt to obtain the desired flowtherethrough. It is difficult and time consuming to coordinate the twovalves so that the proper mixture and volume is achieved.

Therefore, it is the principal object of this invention to provide acutting and welding torch having a volume control valve therein whichcoordinates the flow of oxygen and gas therethrough to obtain the properoxygen-gas mixture.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cutting and weldingtorch which is ideally suited for use with the new types of industrialgas.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cutting and weldingtorch including a master valve which may be moved from pilot" to heat"positions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cutting and weldingtorch including an oxygen line and valve imposed therein which bypassesthe volume control valve to permit additional oxygen to be supplied tothe torch nozzle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cutting and weldingtorch which is convenient to use.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cutting and weldingtorch which is economical to manufacture and durable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements, andcombination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the torch of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the torch as seen on I lines2ZofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view as seen along lines 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a reduced sectional view as seen along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view as seen along lines 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the master valve of the torch.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view as seen along lines 7-7 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing of the oxygen and gas flow lines.

The torch of this invention is generally designated by the referencenumeral 10 and comprises generally a barrellike handle portion 12connected to a tip or nozzle 14 by pipes 16, 18 and 20. An oxygen line22 extends into opening 23 formed in end 24 of handle portion 12 and isconnected to a suitable source of pressurized oxygen. A gas line 26extends into opening 27 formed in end 24 of handle portion 12 and isconnected to a source of pressurized industrial gas such as Chemgas."

Handle portion 12 has a cylindrical bore 28 formed therein which extendsdownwardly thereinto as illustrated in FIG. 3 and which rotatablyreceives a volume control valve or mixture valve 30 therein. Handleportion 12 is provided with a small chamber 32 at one side of valve 30(FIGS. 3 and 4) which communicates with opening 23. A chamber 34 isformed in handle portion 12 opposite chamber 32 at the other side of thevalve 30 and communicates with bore 36 extending therefrom.

Handle portion 12 also has a chamber 38 formed therein at one side ofvalve 30 which is in communication with opening 27 (FIG. 3). Chamber 40is provided in handle portion 12 opposite chamber 38 at the other sideof the valve 30 and has a bore or conduit 42 extending therefrom. Handleportion 12 is provided with an annular groove 41 extending around thebore 28 which receives an O-ring seal 43 therein so as to sealablyengage the exterior surface of valve 30 to prevent communication betweencompartments 32, 34 and 38, 40. Valve 30 is maintained in bore 28 by adisk 44 which is secured to handle portion 12 by any convenient means. Avalve handle 46 is positioned above disk 44 and is connected to valve 30by stem 48 to permit the operator to selectively rotate valve 30. Oneend of the handle 46 is provided with an indicator portion 50 thereonwhich indicates the relative position of valve 30 with respect to theindicia 52 on disk 44 to permit the operator to selectively positionvalve 30.

Valve 30 has a plurality of vertically spaced and staggered bores 54extending therethrough above sea] 43 and a plurality of verticallyspaced and staggered bores 56 extending therethrough below seal 43 asillustrated in FIG. 3. Each of the bores 54 have different diameterswith respect to each other. Likewise, each of the bores 56 havedifferent diameters with respect to each other. The bores 54 arevertically spaced from each other and are rotatably offset with respectto each other so that the outer ends thereof define a helical pattern.The outer ends of the bores 54 are sufficiently offset from each otherso that no more than one bore 54 will provide communication betweenchambers 32 and 34 at any time. The bores 56 are also vertically spacedfrom each other and are rotatably offset with respect to each other sothat the outer ends thereof also display a helical pattern. The outerends of the bores 56 are sufficiently offset from each other so that nomore than one bore 56 will provide communication between chambers 38 and40 at any one time. The bores 54 are coordinated with the bores 56 sothat the operator may rotate the valve 30 to a particular position so asto achieve the proper gas-oxygen mixture passing through the valve 30.In other words, the operator will know that if the handle 46 is rotatedto a certain number appearing on the disk 44, a bore 54 having a properdiameter will communicate with chamber 32 while a bore 56 having aproper diameter will communicate with chamber 38. In other words,rotation of valve 30 permits the flow of oxygen and gas therethrough tobe coordinated so as to achieve the desired gas-oxygen mixture.

As seen in FIG. 8, lines 58 and 60 extend from bore 36 to one side of arectangular compartment or chamber 62 and it can be seen that lines 64and 66 extend from bore 42 to the same side of the compartment 62. FIG.8 also illustrates the fact that the lines 58, 60, 64, and 66 enter thecompartment 62 in a spaced-apart relationship. It should also be notedthat lines 58 and 64 have a diameter less than the diameters of lines 60and 66. A pair of spaced-apart lines 68 and 70 extend from the otherside of compartment 62 entering communication with pipes 18 and 20respectively. A rectangular master or a pilot valve 72 is slidablymounted in compartment 62 and has two conduits 74 and 76 extendingtherethrough, each of which are generally Y-shaped in configuration. Forpurposes of description, conduit 74 is comprised of passageways 78 and80 which extend into one side of valve 72 and which join to communicatewith passageway 82 extending through the opposite side of the valve 72.Conduit 76 is comprised of passageways 84 and 86 which extend into oneside of valve 72 and which join to communicate with passageway 88 whichextends through the opposite side of the valve 72. Valve 72 ismaintained in compartment 64 by means of a snapring 90 being received ingroove 92 and engageable with the shoulder 94 of the valve 72. As seenin FIG. 5, valve 72 includes a stem portion 96 which extends through thecenter of the snapring 90 and having a button portion 98 on its outerend. Spring 100 embraces stem 96 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 toyieldably urge valve 72 outwardly from the compartment 64. Buttonportion 98 is mounted in a recessed area 102 formed in handle portion 12so as to provide convenient access to the same 108 and protrudes frompanel portion 12 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thumb button 112 and dog 104are laterally slidably mounted in the opening 110 so that dog 108 may bemoved laterally from the notches 104 and 106 as desired. Spring means114 is connected to the handle portion 12 and to the dog 108 to normallyurge dog 108 to the left as viewed in FIG. 6 to yieldably resist themovement of the dog 10 to the right as viewed in FIG. 6.

A bypass line 116 is connected to line 22 and bypasses the volumecontrol valve 30 as illustrated in FIG. 8. Line 116 is connected to amanually operated pushbutton-type valve 118 which is connected to thepipe 16. Valve 118 is normally closed but is adapted to supplyadditional oxygen to the tip 14 when opened so as to provide sufficientoxygen for cutting operations.

The normal method of operation is as follows. Lines 22 and 26 wouldnormally be connected to a suitable pressure regulator means on thesources of oxygen and gas so as to deliver the oxygen and gas to thevolume control valve 30 at a predetermined pressure. The indicia 52 ondisk 44 would have previously been calibrated so that the operator couldrotate valve handle 46 to the proper number depending upon theparticular cutting or welding operation to be performed. In other words,if the operator rotates valve handle 46 to the number 4 on the disk 44,oxygen and gas will flow through the volume control valve 30 at apredetermined rate. Oxygen flows through line 22, opening 23, chamber32, the bore 54 which is in communication with chamber 32, chamber 34and into line 36. Similarly, the gas will flow through line 26, opening27, chamber 38, through .the bore 56 which is in communication withchamber 38, chamber 40 and into line 42. Oxygen will be supplied to thevalve 72 through lines 58 and 60 while gas will be supplied to valve 72through lines 64 and 66. When valve 72 is in its outermost position withrespect to compartment 64 the fiow of oxygen and gas to the nozzle isprevented since the passageways 82 and 88 are not registering with thelines 68 and 70. In the position of FIG. 5, the dog 108 is out ofengagement with both of the notches 104 and 106 and would be positionedto the right of the valve 72. The torch may be lighted by pushing thevalve 72 inwardly into compartment 64 to its "pilot" position whereindog 108 will slidably move into engagement with notch 104 to maintainthe valve in such position. When dog 108 is in engagement with notch104, passageways 84 and 86 register with lines 64 and 58 respectivelywhile passageway 88 registers with line 70. Gas and oxygen flow throughthe lines 64 and 58, through conduit 76, through line 70, through pipeand outwardly through the nozzle 14 where it can be ignited. The reduceddiameter of the lines 64 and 58 restrict the flow of oxygen and gastherethrough so that only a small flow of oxygen and gas will besupplied to the nozzle to permit the torch to be ignited. The valve 72is also movable to a heat" position wherein dog 108 will deflectupwardly out of engagement with notch 104 and will engage the notch 106.In the heat" position, valve 72 is positioned so that passageways 78 and80 will register with lines 66 and 60 respectively while passageway 82registers with line 68. The larger diameters of the lines 66, 60 and 68permits a greater volume of oxygen and gas to pass to the tip 14 so thatheating or welding operations may be performed. When valve 72 is in itsheat position, additional oxygen can be supplied to the tip 14 forcutting purposes by simply depressing the pushbutton valve 118 whichcauses oxygen to flow through the line 116 and pipe 16 to the nozzle 14.The torch may be shut off by simply sliding the thumb button 112 to theright as viewed in FIG. 1 which causes the dog 108 to move out ofengagement with the notch in valve 72 which permits the spring means 90to move the valve 72 to the right-as viewed in FIG. 6 to stop the flowof gas and oxygen to the nozzle.

The operator may conveniently change the oxygen and gas mixture beingsupplied to the nozzle at any time by simply rotating the valve 30 to apredetermined position. It can be seen that an extremely convenient andefficient torch has been provided which may be used for cutting orwelding purposes and which permits the mixture of gas and oxygen beingused to be conveniently selected. Thus it can be seen that the deviceaccomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.

1 claim:

1. A torch, comprising,

a handle portion having first and second openings formed therein adaptedto be in communication with sources of pressurized oxygen and industrialgas respectively,

said handle portion having first and second spaced-apart chambers formedtherein which are in communication with said first and second openingsrespectively,

said handle portion having third and fourth spaced-apart chambers formedtherein which have first and second conduits in communication therewith,

a rotatable volume control valve means rotatably mounted in said handleportion having a first valve portion positioned between said first andthird chambers and having a second valve portion positioned between saidsecond and fourth chambers,

each of said first and second valve portions having a plurality ofspaced-apart and offset bores formed therein to permit selectivecommunication between said first and third chambers and between saidsecond and fourth chambers, whereby the flow of gas and oxygen throughsaid volume control valve can be coordinated,

a nozzle means having at least a conduit means extending therefrom,

a second valve means between said conduit means and said first andsecond conduits, said second valve means adapted to be movable from afirst position wherein gas and oxygen will flow to said nozzle means, toa second position wherein gas and oxygen is prevented from flowing tosaid nozzle means.

2. The torch of claim 1 wherein said conduit means com prises third andfourth conduits which are in communication with said second valve means.

3. The torch of claim 2 wherein said second valve means is also movableto a third position wherein gas and oxygen is supplied to said nozzlemeans at a reduced rate for ignition purposes.

4. The torch of claim 3 wherein said fourth conduit has a diameter lessthan said third conduit and wherein the gas and oxygen mixture flowsthrough said fourth conduit when said second valve means is in itspilot" position.

5. The torch of claim 4 wherein the gas and oxygen mixture flows throughsaid third conduit when said second valve means is in its said firstposition.

6. The torch of claim 1 wherein an oxygen bypass line extends betweensaid first opening and said nozzle means, said bypass line having amanually operated valve means for supplying additional oxygen to thenozzle means for cutting purposes.

7. The torch of claim 1 wherein each of the bores in said first valveportion have a predetermined diameter and wherein each of the bores insaid second valve portion have a predetermined diameter to permit saidcoordination of the flow of gas and oxygen therethrough.

8. The torch of claim 1 wherein said volume control valve means includesmeans thereon for indicating the relative position of said control valvemeans with respect to said first and second chambers.

9. A cutting torch, comprising,

a handle portion having a chamber,

a nozzle element on one end of said handle portion,

a first conduit extending through said handle to said nozzle element,

a second conduit extending through said handle to said nozzle element,

a valve element movably mounted in said handle portion and having firstand second portions in communication with said first and secondconduits, respectively; each portion of said valve having a plurality ofpassageways,

and a control valve in said handle portion and in communication withsaid conduits to control the flow of oxygen and industrial gastherethrough, 10. The device of claim 9 wherein an oxygen bypass lineextends around said valve element and is in communication with saidsource of oxygen and said nozzle element, and as control valve in said'bypass line.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said control valve includes means forpassing varying amounts of industrial gas and 10 oxygen to said noulefor ignition and for cutting purposes.

1. A torch, comprising, a handle portion having first and secondopenings formed therein adapted to be in communication with sources ofpressurized oxygen and industrial gas respectively, said handle portionhaving first and second spaced-apart chambers formed therein which arein communication with said first and second openings respectively, saidhandle portion having third and fourth spaced-apart chambers formedtherein which have first and second conduits in communication therewith,a rotatable volume control valve means rotatably mounted in said handleportion having a first valve portion positioned between said first andthird chambers and having a second valve portion positioned between saidsecond and fourth chambers, each of said first and second valve portionshaving a plurality of spaced-apart and offset bores formed therein topermit selective communication between said first and third chambers andbetween said second and fourth chambers, whereby the flow of gas andoxygen through said volume control valve can be coordinated, a nozzlemeans having at least a conduit means extending therefrom, a secondvalve means between said conduit means and said first and secondconduits, said second valve means adapted to be movable from a firstposition wherein gas and oxygen will flow to said nozzle means, to asecond position wherein gas and oxygen is prevented from flowing to saidnozzle means.
 2. The torch of claim 1 wherein said conduit meanscomprises third and fourth conduits which are in communication with saidsecond valve means.
 3. The torch of claim 2 wherein said second valvemeans is also movable to a third position wherein gas and oxygen issupplied to said nozzle means at a reduced rate for ignition purposes.4. The torch of claim 3 wherein said fourth conduit has a diameter lessthan said third conduit and wherein the gas and oxygen mixture flowsthrough said fourth conduit when said second valve means is in its''''pilot'''' position.
 5. The torch of claim 4 wherein the gas andoxygen mixture flows through said third conduit when said second valvemeans is in its said first position.
 6. The torch of claim 1 wherein anoxygen bypass line extends between said first opening and said nozzlemeans, said bypass line having a manually operated valve means forsupplying additional oxygen to the nozzle means for cutting purposes. 7.The torch of claim 1 wherein each of the bores in said first valveportion have a predetermined diameter and wherein each of the bores insaid second valve portion have a predetermined diameter to permit saidcoordination of the flow of gas and oxygen therethrough.
 8. The torch ofclaim 1 wherein said volume control valve means includes means thereonfor indicating the relative position of said control valve means withrespect to said first and second chambers.
 9. A cutting torch,comprising, a handle portion having a chamber, a nozzle element on oneend of said handle portion, a first conduit extending through saidhandle to said nozzle element, a second conduit extending through saidhandle to said nozzle element, a valve element movably mounted in saidhandle portion and having first and second portions in communicationwith said first and second conduits, respectively; each portion of saidvalve having a plurality of passageways, with one each of saidpassageways in each portion adapted to register with said first andsecond conduits, respectively, upon selective positioning of said valveelement, said passageways in each portion being of a differentcross-sectional size, means adapted to connect said first and secondconduits to sources of oxygen and industrial gas, respectively,whereupon oxygen and industrial gas can flow through said respectiveconduits upon the alignment of a passageway i5 one of said valveportions with said conduits by the movement of said valve element, and acontrol valve in said handle portion and in communication with saidconduits to control the flow of oxygen and industrial gas therethrough.10. The device of claim 9 wherein an oxygen bypass line extends aroundsaid valve element and is in communication with said source of oxygenand said nozzle element, and as control valve in said bypass line. 11.The device of claim 10 wherein said control valve includes means forpassing varying amounts of industrial gas and oxygen to said nozzle forignition and for cutting purposes.